Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust and of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“We welcome the Lords’ report and its recommendations. In particular, we share concerns about the quality of many apprenticeships and the importance of focusing on high level apprenticeships so that they lead to a career not just a short-term job. That means ensuring all young apprentices aim for a minimum of A-level standard apprenticeships from the start and ensuring that many more aim for degree-level apprenticeships.

“The Committee is also right to emphasise the need for better career guidance, so young people know their options and what’s required of them whether for university or apprenticeships. It is also vital that schools improve their capacity to deliver essential ‘life skills’, such as confidence, articulacy, resilience and social skills, with research showing them to be as important in the modern workplace as traditional qualifications.”